North and east India run on a different set of land units from the south, and unlike guntas and cents, several of them change size when you cross a state line.
Punjab's system is the cleanest in the country. Bengal's and Bihar's share a vocabulary and almost nothing else.
Punjab and Haryana: kanal, marla, killa
The most orderly land arithmetic in India.
20 marla = 1 kanal. 8 kanal = 1 killa. 1 killa = 1 acre.
| Unit | Square feet | Square yards | Per acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marla | 272.25 | 30.25 | 160 |
| Kanal | 5,445 | 605 | 8 |
| Killa | 43,560 | 4,840 | 1 |
A killa is simply the local word for an acre, so "4 killa" is 4 acres. Half an acre is 4 kanal. A marla is a small plot unit, used for house sites.
The system also extends upward: 25 killa = 1 murabba, a square of 25 acres, which is how consolidated holdings were laid out under the canal colonies. You will still see murabba numbers in Punjab and Haryana revenue records.
These values hold across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir with only minor local variation, which makes the region unusually easy to transact in.
Uttar Pradesh: bigha and biswa
1 bigha = 20 biswa. 1 biswa = 20 biswansi.
The problem is what a bigha is. The pucca bigha in UP is 27,225 square feet, which makes a pucca biswa 1,361.25 square feet. But kaccha bighas are used in several districts at smaller values, and the ratio of kaccha to pucca is not uniform across the state.
So a biswa inherits whatever ambiguity the local bigha carries. Before agreeing anything in biswas, establish which bigha the district uses -- the full picture is in why 1 bigha differs by state.
West Bengal: katha, chatak, bigha
1 bigha = 20 katha. 1 katha = 16 chatak.
| Unit | Square feet | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Chatak | 45 | 968 |
| Katha (cottah) | 720 | 60.5 |
| Bigha | 14,400 | 3.025 |
The Bengal bigha is 14,400 square feet, so roughly three bighas make an acre. A katha, also written cottah, is 720 square feet and is the standard unit for urban plots in and around Kolkata.
Bihar: the same words, different sizes
1 bigha = 20 katha. 1 katha = 1,361 square feet. 1 bigha = 27,220 square feet.
Note what just happened. A katha in Bihar is 1,361 square feet; a katha in West Bengal is 720. The states share a border and the word means nearly twice as much on one side of it.
Bihar also uses the decimal -- one hundredth of an acre, 435.6 square feet, the same quantity Tamil Nadu calls a cent.
Assam: katha again, different again
1 bigha = 5 katha. 1 katha = 20 lecha.
| Unit | Square feet | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Lecha | 144 | 302.5 |
| Katha | 2,880 | 15.1 |
| Bigha | 14,400 | 3.025 |
Assam's bigha matches Bengal's at 14,400 square feet, but it divides into 5 katha rather than 20. So an Assam katha is 2,880 square feet -- four times a Bengal katha and more than twice a Bihar one.
Three states, three katha sizes: 720, 1,361 and 2,880 square feet. If you take one thing from this page, take that.
Gaj: the unit everyone shares
1 gaj = 1 square yard = 9 square feet.
The gaj is used across northern India for plots and house sites, and unlike almost everything else here it does not vary. 100 gaj is 900 square feet; 1 acre is 4,840 gaj.
Because it is stable and widely understood, quoting in gaj is a reasonable way to remove ambiguity from a northern transaction.
Quick reference
| Unit | Square feet | Per acre | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaj | 9 | 4,840 | North India generally |
| Chatak | 45 | 968 | West Bengal |
| Lecha | 144 | 302.5 | Assam |
| Marla | 272.25 | 160 | Punjab, Haryana |
| Katha | 720 | 60.5 | West Bengal |
| Katha | 1,361 | 32 | Bihar |
| Biswa (pucca) | 1,361.25 | 32 | Uttar Pradesh |
| Katha | 2,880 | 15.1 | Assam |
| Kanal | 5,445 | 8 | Punjab, Haryana, HP, J&K |
| Killa | 43,560 | 1 | Punjab, Haryana |
The rule that protects you
Convert to square feet before you do anything else -- compare prices, negotiate, or sign. Square feet is the one unit in this entire article that means the same thing in every state.
Then confirm the extent against the registered document and the revenue record, because whatever unit the conversation happened in, the deed is what you own. The checks are in verifying a survey number and the site visit checklist.
Related reading
- The complete Indian land unit cheat sheet
- Why 1 bigha differs by state
- South India's land units decoded
- Red flags on a land listing
Browse listings: agricultural land near Ludhiana, farmland around Lucknow, agricultural land near Patiala, or farmland around Meerut.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Land measurement units vary by state, district and local usage -- verify current requirements with a local property lawyer before making any purchase decision.
Written by
Agriva Editorial
The Agriva Editorial team writes practical, field-tested guides for buyers, sellers, and brokers navigating India's farmland and niche real estate market.